After you’ve decided on your long-tail strategy, done some basic keyword research for a specific topic, optimized your post and hit publish, it’s time to relax, right?!

Sorry, you’re still not done. (And those social media experts claimed blogging was so easy!)

When you’re done with your article, you need to promote it.

Chances are, people don’t know it exists. Unless you get the word out, no one will find and appreciate all of your hard work.

Gary Vaynerchuck once said that “If content is King, then marketing is Queen… and we all know who runs the house!”

Basic Social Media Promotion

Promotion through social media is becoming a huge factor in search engine rankings.

Each time your content is “Liked”, “ReTweeted” or “+1”, it’s saying that people like what they see and recommend it to others.

It’s been proven that search engines are factoring in this information both directly and indirectly in real-time. That means your article could be ranked on the first page the same day it’s published.

You need to think of yourself as a “content-curator”, not just a writer. So you want to pass along your information to people who may find it interesting. It will not only increase your Facebook post likes but also boost your social signals for ranking factors.

Here are some best practices for maximizing Facebook and Twitter click through rates (CTR):

Facebook:

• You should update Facebook a minimum of twice, maximum 5 times throughout the day.
• Time of day counts! Around 11am and 7:30 works well for me, but other audiences may be different.
• You should make sure your update has a good headline, image, and description.
• You can try keeping a specific theme throughout the day. For example, if your Best Show in Las Vegas post is being updated twice. You can try asking a “Question” in between those postings related to Las Vegas shows.

Twitter:

• Influencers! If you write about a specific person or place, then make sure to @them with a link to your post. Or if you know of someone who may be interested, or their audience, @them as well. For example, an entertainment blogger or editor in Las Vegas.
• Use and track hashtags to delineate what your post is about. For example, #LasVegas #Travel

When you’re analyzing data, typically you’re trying to identify historical trends, correlating factors and outliers.

For example, ask yourself:

• What is my social media audiences interested in?
• What SM channels generate the most click-throughs?
• where can I improve?

Identify your External Referrers: Where is your social traffic coming from? For example, what percentage is coming from Mobile, Facebook, Twitter or others? Do you currently get traffic from a site that you should participate more in? Or does your traffic vs. time invested in that site match up? As you analyze these referrer sources, remember that implementing social media ordering can boost your social traffic and streamline the conversion process for potential customers.

Now analyze clicks and look at the popular days: What types of posts are getting the most links? Are they correlated by city, category, topic, etc.

This will help you determine what your audience is interested in, letting you know what you should focus on doing more.

These are just some of the basics of social media optimization. But you can clearly see the overlap and importance of integrating your online marketing efforts to produce better results.

4 Common SEO Mistakes that Will Hurt Your Rankings this Year

Enter your name and email below to get a free on-demand video about how to fix these four common mistakes:

• Mistake #1: Relying on a “Head” Keyword Strategy
• Mistake #2: Over-Optimizing Your Pages and Posts
• Mistake #3: Acquiring Easy, Low Value & High Risk Links
• Mistake #4: Not Using a Combination of Tactics to Boost SEO